Structure for conditioning air for stored produce



Nov., 24, 1931. C, A. MOORE 1,832,912

STRUCTURE FOR CONDITIONING AIR FOR STORED PRODUCE Filed Jan. 3. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l \D d; d-

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STRUCTURE FOR CONDITIONING AIR FOR STORED PRODUCE Filed Jan. 5. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 K) Suma/ufo@ Charles Moore C. A. MOORE Nov. 24, 1931.

STRUCTURE FOR CONDITIONING AIR FOR STORED PRODUCE Filed Jan. 3. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 @.mmf

Jnfvcnro'a Chores Moore,

Patented Nov. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES A. MOORE, F EDINA, MINNESOTA Application. flied January 3, 1927. Serial No. 158,762.

My invention relates to improvements in structures for conditioning air for Stored produce.

An object of the invention is to supply a structure of maximum lading capacity including means of relatively small proportions having relatively great capacity for eiiciently conditioning and circulating air.

Another object of the, invention is to provide such air conditioning means wherein an upright casing is provided with pipe coils arranged in spaced tiers adapted to convey therethrough a temperature affecting medium and in which casing openings are formed above and beneath said coils for the ingress of air to and the egress of air from said cas-v ing by gravity.

A further object is to provide `an air conditioning means, as above, wherein a blower is employed to stimulate the gravitating movement of air therethrough.

A still further object resides in providing a tank in the bottom of such upright casing for a temperature affecting liquid, also in supplying means for affecting the temperature of such liquid in said tank, also in providing spray nozzles directed downwardly in the direction of the tiers of pipe coils in the casing and. further, in pumping the liquid from said tankto said nozzles, whereby, among other things. the refrigeration of air may be enhanced within said casing and the circulation of such air by gravity may be proi moted, and whereby the said pipe coils may be maintained in condition washed free from external accumulations of frost.

An additional object of the invention is to provide battle devices in proximity to the openings in the casing next above the tank whereby sprayed and splashing liquid is debarred against egress from the casing through said openings. v

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a device embodying my invention. the same being taken as on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a similar sectional view taken as on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken as on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

to Referring to the drawings, wherein like parts bear similar reference characters, I have illustrated a structure includin side Walls 10, 11, end walls 12, ceiling 13, a s atted or otherwise suitably perforated false floor 14 and a Hoor proper 15, which construction 55 provides a long room A for the reception of produce. Transversely of said room A and midway between the end walls 12 thereof is a box-like casing B, the top of which is formed by the ceiling 13 of the room A. Side walls 00 16 and end walls 17, 18 of casing B, together with a bottom 19 therefor, provide a tank C in the lower portion of the casing B, said tank being disposed beneath the level of the floor proper 15. Within the casing B near the top thereof, is a horizontal partition 20 which forms an air header D in the upper portion of said casing. A chamber E is formed in the space bounded at the top by the ceiling 13 of the room A, at the sides by extensions 70 16a of the side walls 16 of the casing B, at one end by the end wall 17 of casing B, at the other end by the side wall 10 of the room structure and at the bottom by the bottom panel 21. Chamber E contains a blower 22 75 adapted to take air from said chamber and discharge the same into the air header D of the casing B through an opening 23 in the end wall 17 of said casing. Communicating with said chamber E at either side thereof, through openings 24 in the side wall extensions 16, are ducts 25. One duct 25 extends along one side of the casing B at the ceiling of the room A, the other duct 25 being similarly dis osed along the opposite side of Said caslng. ach duct 25 has an elongated slit or opening 26 therein formed adjacent to the ceiling of the room A and extending from the closed end 25a thereof to a point near the opening 24 through which the duct communicates with the chamber E. In each duct 25, near the end thereof which connects with said chamber E, is a damper 27 for obstructing the duct, more or less, as may be desired. The horizontal partition 20 is suitably perforated, as by 95 means of apertures 28 or otherwise. These apertures 28 provide communication between n the air header D in the casing Band the chamber F A.between the horizontal partition 20 and the tank C. In each of the side walls 16 100 of the casing B is an elongated opening 29, the lower edge ol which is disposed slightly above the normal level of liquid in the tank C. These openings 29 provide for communication between the lower portion of chamber F in casing B and the space 30 between the false Hoor 14 and floor proper 15 of the room A.

Within chamber F in casing B is a system of pipes 31 through which a temperature affecting medium is circulated, said pipes comprising coils arranged in spaced tiers.

When a refrigerating medium is circulated through the coiled pipes 31, the air about said pipes is chilled and settles by gravity in chamber F to the bottom of said chamber, whence it passes through the elongated openings 29 into the space 30 between the false floor 14 and loor proper 15 of the room A. Rising along the relatively warmer walls ot said room and about stacks ot relatively warmer produce placed on the false floor 14, said air ascends to the upper portion of the room. thence follows the ceiling 13 and enters the openings 26 in the ducts 25, thence passes from the ducts 25 into the chamber E and through the blower 22 to the air header D in the casing B and thence passes through the perforated partition 20 into the chamber F, t'hus completing its cycle of movement, by gravity, through said casing B and room A. The movement of air, above described, is effected when the blower 22 is idle, but appreciably accelerated by putting: said blower into operation.

Other means are also employed for accelerating the movement of air, by gravity, through the above described cycle, the same serving additionally for refrigerating said air. Said means includes a system of downwardly directed spray nozzles 32 connected with a feed pipe 33 through which a refrigerating liquid is introduced to said nozzles. These nozzles 32 are arranged in rows over the tiers of coiled pipes 31, each nozzle preferably being located directly beneath an aperture 28 in the horizontal partition 20. The cold spray from the nozzles 32 washes the air in the chamber F, cooling said air and promoting the circulation thereof by forcing it down through said chamber F and out through the openings 29 therein. The liquid sprayed from the nozzles 32 is caught in the tank C, wherein a. supply of such liquid is maintained at a level only slightly beneath the openings 29 in the side walls 1G of the casing B. This supply ot' liquid is refrigerated by means of pipe 34 for a refrigerant, said pipe being coiled within the tank C. And refrigerated liquid from said tank is pumped back to the nozzles 32 by means of a pump 35 fitted with an ingress pine 36 dipping into the tank C and further fittedvwith a discharge pipe 37 connected with the feed pipe 33 leading to said nozzles 32. The washing ofthe air downward against the disturbed surface of the cold liquid in the tank C aids in refrigerating the air prior to its exit from the casing B through the openings 2t). Batlle flanges 38 disposed along the upper margins of said openings 29 serve as eliminators to minimize the escape of liquid from the casing B through those openlngs. In the floor proper 15 ol the room structure A and at the lower edge of each opening 29 is a gutter 39 equipped with a sewer connection 40. Said lloor proper 15, at the sides of the casing B, slopes slightly upward from said gutters 39 so that any condensation accumulating on said floor may be drained away.

The pipes 31, arranged in tiers as l1ereinbefore pointed out, impede very slightly the movement of air through the chamber F and Isaid pipes, during the use of the nozzles 32, are washed free from external accumulations of frost by the liquid sprayed thereagainst from said nozzles.

Changes in the specific form ol my invention, as herein disclosed, may be made with* in the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a building strucf ture forming a storage room having a false floor spaced above a floor proper and providing for the passage of air upwardly from the space between said floors into the room proper, of air cooling and circulating means in said structure comprising an upright casing, a horizontally disposed, perforate partition in said casing providing an air header at the upper portion of the casing and a cooling chamber therebeneath, said casing having an air inlet opening therein affording communication between the upper portion of the room and the air header, the lower portion of the casing providing a tank for a liquid, a spray nozzle, within said casing beneath said partition, directed downward to discharge liquid therefrom into said tank, means within the tank to chill the liquid therein, a pump in piped communication with the tank and with said nozzle to deliver liquid to said nozzle from said tank, pipes in the cooling chamber for a refrigerant, said pipes being disposed in spaced tiers, said casing 'having an elongated air outlet openin therein beneath said nozzle and slightly a ove the normal liquid level in the tank, a baille flange away precipitation accumulating on said air outlet opening serving as an eliminator to minimize the escape of spray through said opening, said Hoor proper having a gutter therein along the lower edge of said outlet opening and being sloped toward the gutter, the gutter serving as a waste drain to carry away precipitation accumulating on said door proper.

lllti 2. The combination with a building structure forming a stora e room havin a false floor spaced above a oor proper an providing for the passage of air upwardly from the space between said floors into the room proper, of air cooling and circulating means in said structure comprising an upright casing having an air inlet o ening in the upper part thereof, a fan for orcing air into said casing through said inlet opening, a duct opening into the room along the ceilin thereof tofeed air from the room to the an, the lower portion of the casing providing a tank for a liquid, a spray nozzle, within said casing beneath said inlet opening directed downward to discharge liquid therefrom into said tank, means within the tank to chill the liq.- uid therein, a pump in piped communication with the tank fand with said nozzle to deliver liquid to said nozzle from said tank, said casing having an elongated air outlet opening therein beneath said nozzle at a level slightly above the normal liquid levelin the tank and between the false floor and ioor proper, said floor proper having a gutter therein along the lower edge of said outlet opening and being sloped toward the gutter, the gutter serving as a waste drain to carry away precipitation accumulating on said floor proper.

3. The combination with a building structure forming a storage room havin a false ioor spaced above a floor proper an providing for the passage of air upwardly from the space between said floors into the room proper, of air conditioning and circulating means in said structure comprising an upright casing having an air inlet opening in the upper part thereof, a fan for forcing air from the upper portion of the room into said casing through said inlet opening, the lower portion of the casing providing a tank for a liquid, a spray nozzle, within said casing beneath said inlet opening, directed downward to discharge liquid therefrom into said tank, said casing having an air outlet opening therein beneath said nozzle at a level slightly above the normal liquid level in the tank and between the false floor and ioor proper, said floor proper being sloped to carry away any precipitation that may escape from the casing through said outlet opening and accumulate on said Hoor proper.'

4. The combination with a building structure forming a storage room, of air conditioning and circulating means in said structure including a centrally disposed upright casing of elongated construction having an air header in the upper portion thereof communicating with the interior ofv the casing from end to end thereof, and having air egress openings along the sides at the bottom thereof, air refrigerating means within the casing, ducts open for thev ingress of air thereto along the length thereof and disposed along the casing near the ceiling ofthe room and a fan for drawin air fron. said ducts and -forcing it into said air header.

CHARLES A. MOORE.

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CERTIFICATE 0F CQRRECTION.

Patent No.` 1,832,912. Granted November 24, 1931, to

GHARLES A. MOURE.

1t is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 122, claim l, strike out the words "away precipitation accumulating on" and insert instead within the casing along the upper edge oi; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the saine may conform to the record of the cose in the Patent Office.

Signed and senled this 23rd day of February, A. D. 1932.

M. J. Moore, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

